Catchfence

JOLIET, Ill. (August 30, 2009) - Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti combined to lead 95 of 200 laps at Chicagoland Speedway, but Dixon was edged out at the finish line by 0.0077-seconds by Ryan Briscoe in the fourth-closest finish in IRL history. Franchitti started third, finished fourth and led once for 34 laps, while Dixon led seven times for 61 laps from his sixth starting position to finish second for the fifth time at the 1.5-mile oval.

With the finishes, Dixon remains third in IndyCar points with 517 (-33 to leader Briscoe), while Franchitti remains second in the standings with 525 (-25 to leader Briscoe).

The top three drivers in points are the only drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2009 IndyCar Series championship with two races remaining (Japan, Homestead-Miami).

The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues September 19 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan with the Indy Japan 300. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 10:30 p.m. (EDT) on VERSUS HD. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com.

Notes

- Dixon finished second, his eighth podium finish and his 10th top-five finish of the season. Dixon has finished second at Chicagoland Speedway five teams, including the last four races (2006-2009).

TCGR Quoteboard:

Scott Dixon: “We’ve all seen this movie several times. Unfortunately at Chicago, we just keep finishing second. The whole night, I think we drove a better race. The guys on the Target team did a fantastic job. The pit stops were flawless. We launched out there a few times but we just didn’t have the speed. Our mile-and-half dominance that we seemed to have last year on the Target team has just really been affected. We need to play catch up with Penske. They clearly are a lot faster than us. That’s all I had. Great job by Ryan (Briscoe).”

Dario Franchitti: “It was as obviously an interesting night. It was kind of a little frustrating in the way that these one­and­a­half­mile tracks are sometimes in that you would get these big runs on the guys in front, get to the outside and wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. We’re still in the fight for the championship, but Briscoe did another good job tonight, and we’re going to have to keep going to have to make something happen these next two races.”

About Target Chip Ganassi Racing

With 15 wins in the last 31 races, Target Chip Ganassi Racing is the reigning IndyCar Series champion. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with sponsor, Target. Today, Target Chip Ganassi Racing includes two entries in the Indy Racing League for 2008 IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon, and 2007 IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti. Target Chip Ganassi Racing has collected six Championships and 72 wins since 1994 and operates out of a state-of-the-art race shop facility in Indianapolis, Ind., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.

- Target Chip Ganassi Racing Press Release